Prairie State Wire

There were 120 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Illinois in the week ending August 14, making up 5.5 percent of total deaths by all causes in Illinois, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 14, there were 2,171 deaths in the state. 20.6 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.6 percent were from cancer and 10.6 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.1 percent of deaths were from Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Studies show doctors and medical examiners may underreport Alzheimer's disease and dementia-related conditions as the underlying cause of death on death certificates, according to the National Institute on Aging.

Once infected, older adults with dementia are likely to develop a more severe and dangerous illness. The diseases which make an older adult more vulnerable to COVID-19 are age-associated chronic conditions, according to the Bright Focus Foundation.

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	447	20.6
Heart disease	447	20.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	120	5.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	111	5.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	109	5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	80	3.7
Alzheimer's disease	70	3.2
Diabetes mellitus	61	2.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	44	2
Influenza and pneumonia	29	1.3

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	198	9.1